Islamabad, 27 October 2025: The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), in collaboration with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and Oxford Policy Management (OPM), hosted the Grants Award Ceremony of the Catalytic Fund under the Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan (CF-WRAP) Programme in Islamabad on Monday.
The event marked the launch of eight pioneering projects aimed at promoting innovation, evidence, and collaboration for water security and climate resilience across Pakistan.
Mujib Khan, Programme Director, CF-WRAP, said the Fund represents “a shift from isolated experiments in sustainable water management toward scalable solutions that strengthen resilience.”
Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary, MoWR, highlighted the urgency of adopting innovative, evidence-based approaches. “Pakistan faces the dual challenges of scarcity and flooding, aggravated by climate change. Integrated water resource management and nature-based solutions are key to tackling these threats,” he said.
Representatives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Punjab shared how CF-WRAP-supported projects are enabling locally driven, technology-based responses to climate challenges — from early warning systems and smart irrigation to glacier grafting and rainwater harvesting.
Speaking for FCDO, Sam Waldock, Development Director, reaffirmed the UK’s support: “CF-WRAP embodies our shared ambition to strengthen water governance, promote innovation, and deliver evidence-based solutions that improve lives.”
In closing, Rauf Khan, Country Director, OPM, noted that the Catalytic Fund “demonstrates scalable solutions that drive institutional reform and innovation.”
The Catalytic Fund supports high-impact pilot projects nationwide focused on community water security, smart irrigation, flood early-warning, and nature-based solutions, promoting accountability and integrated water resource management across Pakistan.
